What Comes After the First Glimpse? Loch Kelly on Flow States

Evelyn Reed · 2026-09-15

Have you ever had a moment where everything just clicked? The chatter in your head went quiet, and you felt completely present. Maybe it lasted a few seconds, maybe a few minutes. Then, just as quickly, it slipped away. That's what meditation teacher Loch Kelly calls the "first glimpse." It's a real taste of awakening—a direct experience of openness, stillness, and the absence of a separate self. But here's the question that rarely gets asked: What happens next? In a recent conversation with host Michael Taft, Kelly explores this exact territory. And what he shares might change how you think about your own practice. ### Waking Up vs. Waking With Most of us are familiar with the idea of "waking up." It's the moment you recognize that the voice in your head isn't who you are. You see through the illusion of a separate self and taste a kind of freedom that feels profound. But Kelly points to something deeper. He distinguishes "waking up" from what he calls "waking with." - **Waking up** is recognizing openness, stillness, and the absence of a separate self. - **Waking with** is seeing that appearances—thoughts, sensations, the world around you—are inseparable from that awake awareness. In other words, you don't just wake up *from* experience. You wake up *with* it. This is what some traditions call "one taste"—the realization that there's no gap between the awareness you are and everything that appears within it. ### Why Flow States Matter The conversation also dives into flow states. You know the feeling: you're so absorbed in what you're doing that time seems to disappear. Athletes call it "being in the zone." Musicians call it "losing yourself in the music." Kelly suggests that flow states are actually a natural doorway into this "waking with" territory. When you're fully immersed in an activity, the boundary between self and experience softens. You're not *doing* flow—you're *being* flow. > "The glimpse is just the beginning. The real invitation is to live from that openness, not just visit it." That's a powerful reframe. Instead of chasing peak experiences, you start to notice that the awareness behind them is always here. It's not something you need to achieve. It's something you need to recognize—again and again, until it becomes your default. ### Bringing It Into Daily Life So how do you actually do this? Kelly's approach is less about technique and more about orientation. Here are a few simple ways to start: - **Pause and notice.** Throughout your day, take a few seconds to check in. What's here right now? Can you sense the awareness that's holding it all? - **Welcome everything.** Instead of pushing away difficult emotions or sensations, see if you can let them be. They're not obstacles—they're part of the flow. - **Drop the story.** Notice when you're narrating your experience. What happens if you let the narration go and just be with what is? None of this is about getting somewhere. It's about realizing you're already there. ### The Takeaway If you've had a glimpse—a moment of clarity, peace, or presence—you're not done. That glimpse is an invitation. The real adventure is learning to live from that place, to let it permeate your relationships, your work, and your everyday moments. Kelly's conversation with Michael Taft is a beautiful reminder that awakening isn't a destination. It's a way of being. And it's available right now, in the middle of your ordinary life.